Trump tries hard power in Horn of Africa as Turkey, UAE expand influence
The Trump administration is intensifying military operations and cutting aid in the Horn of Africa, while Turkey and the UAE expand their influence, creating both cooperation and competition with US objectives in the region.
Two months into his second term, US President Donald Trump is rapidly reshaping US policy in the Horn of Africa — slashing aid, escalating military operations and recalibrating alliances.
As Washington sharpens its focus on hard power, regional actors like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are expanding their own influence, sometimes complementing US objectives, and other times complicating them.
An immediate hallmark of Trump’s foreign policy engagement was the freezing of USAID in January 2025. This may have ramifications for the Horn of Africa, given that in 2023 around 8% of the $72 billion in US international aid was allocated to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
Beyond the risks of exacerbating humanitarian crises and instability in nations like Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, the aid cuts could erode American soft power in the region.
